Washing machine



C. G. HALL.

WASHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED Nov, 22. 1920.

1,421,469, PatentedJuly4,1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I- QNUENTQR fharles E. Hall swgddg I? ATTAKN c. G. HALL.

WASHING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED NOV-'22, I920.

1,42 1,462 Patented July 4, 1922.;

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. mumwfi Ovaries Hal! BY: a g

c. e. HALL.

WASHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, I920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

INUENTOR Charles G. aII

/ VATTARNEYJV WASHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1922.-

Application filed November 22, 1920. Serial No. 425,752.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES G. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residin at Akron, in the county of Summit and tate of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Washing Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to washing machines of the motor driven type and more particularly to the construction of the supporting frame whereby the entire device may be easily and quickly folded into a rela tively small space for moving or shipping the machine.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a washing machine with a vertical, narrow, main frame which contains and supports the motor and the driving mechanism, and folding benches or shelves hingedly mounted upon said main frame for supporting the tub of the washing machine and extra tubs or baskets, a wringer being pivotally mounted upon said main frame and arranged to be moved-into any desired position and locked; to provide means for easily and readily detaching the tub of the washing machine for the purpose of folding the shelves or benches against the vertical frame in order that the device may be easily moved or transported; the benches or shelves being so constructed that the entire device may be easily folded togetheror unfolded and moved by one person; and to generally in prove and simplify the construction of washing machines of the character referred to.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in the novel const ruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and set forth in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and details of construction may be made without departing from the invention.

The invention thus set forth in general terms is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the frame work of the machine with the tub of the washing machine removed, one of the hinged shelves or benches being also removed for the purpose of illustration.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the entire washing machine, one of the folding benches or shelves being shown in the folded position.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine, both of the shelves or benches being shown in the open or operative position.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the machine 1n the folded position, the tub being removed and parts broken away for the purpose of illustration.

A. practlcal embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings,

forming part of this specification, in which similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The main frame of the machine comprises a pair of uprights 1 and 2 connected together at their upper extremities by the tie ,bar 3, a shelf 4 being supported between said uprights near their lower ends. The lower end of each of the uprights is provided with p an enlarged foot 5 of suflicient proportion to support the device in an upright position.

The motor, which may be an electric motor as shown at 6, or a water motor or other suitable source of motive power, is mounted naled in a suitable bearing bracket 11 and having a worm 12 mounted thereon, and meshing with a worm gear 13 fixed upon the shaft 14, which is journaled in suitable bearings 15, supported by the bracket 11.

A crank arm 16 is loosely mounted upon the shaft 14and arranged to be coupled thereto by means of the sliding clutch 17 which is operatively connected to the lever 18, pivoted at its lower end upon the shelf 4, as shown at 19, the upper free extremity of said lever being connected to a link 20 which extends laterally across the main frame and is connected to the operating handle 21 which is pivotally mounted upon a bracket 22 fixed to the upright 1 and providcd with a pawl 23 arranged to engage the notches 24 in the bracket in order to lock the clutch in the opergive or inoperative positions.

A wrist pin 25 is provided upon the free extremity of the crank arm 16, and 'a link 26 is pivotally mounted thereon, .a connecting bar 27, being provided with the bifurcated portion 28 which receives the free end of the link 26, a substantially vertical pivot 29 connecting said members.

The other extremity of the connecting bar 27 is provided with a bifurcated portion 30, located in a plane at right angles to the pivot 29, this bifurcated portion 30 receiving the extremity of a short link 31 which is pivotally connected thereto by means of a substantially horizontal pin 32, the other extremity of the link 31 being preferably bifurcated as shown at 33 to receive the free end of the rock arm 34, a vertical pin 35 plvotally connecting said part-s.

the normally vertical rock shaft 36, jourinaled in a suitable bearing 37, which is pro- The rock arm 34 1s fixedly mounted upon vided with the flange or plate portion 38,

connected to the folding shelf or'bench indicated generally by the numeral 39, upon nected to the outer or free edge of the ben'ch 39 as shown at 44, these legs being preferably formed of a single channel bar bent into U-shape as shown 1n the drawings.

A bevel pinion is mounted upon the outer extremityof the shaft 14, and meshes with a similar pinion 46, which is fixed upon the lower portion of the vertical shaft 47, which is journaled in the bearings 48 and 49, the bearing 48 being carried upon a bracket 50, which'is connected to the lower portion. of the upright 2, the bearing 49 being formed integral with the off-set arm 51, which is formed at the upper end of said upright.

The wringer 52 may be of any usual and well known construction, and is provided .with the bracket 53, having a-bearing por- 58, provide tion 54, which is journaledupon the bearin portion 49, of the upright 2, and is rovide at its lower end with an annular ange 55, which engaged the annular flange 56, formed upon the off-set portion 51 of the upright, receiving the end thrust.

The shaft 57, of the lower roll of the wringer, is 'ournaled throu h the bearings upon the brac et 53, and has loosely mounted thereon the bevel pinions 59 and '60, which mesh with the bevel ear 61, fixed upon the upper end of the s aft 47. A clutch 62 is provided upon'the shaft 57, for fixedly engaging either of the pinions 59 or 60 with the shaft 5'7,for the purpose of reversing the wringer. v

The clutch 62's arranged tobe moved by the lever 63 which is pivoted intermediate its extremities upon the portion 64 of the bracket 53, a link 65 being connected to the upper extremityof said lever, an operating 74 is mounted upon the tube 72, and provided with an annular flange 75, mounted upon the bottom wall of the tub, and provided with notches 76, which are arranged to receive the lugs 77 of the central stationary cage 78.

Acouphng member 79 is mounted upon the upper extremity of the shaft 36, and ar ranged to be engaged by the coupling member 80, which v is mounted "upon the' lower end of the agitator shaft.

The tube 72 is provided with a nut 81 upon its lower end by means of which the tube is fixedly connected to the bottom wall '70 of the tub, a washer 82 being preferably provided betweenthe bottom wall of the tub and the nut.

A packing box 83 may be provided'upon the upper end of' the tube 72 in order to properly lubricate the agitator shaft, and to prevent leakage around the shaft 73, making the bearing of said shaft, in the bottom wall of the tub watertight.

The agitator comprises the central hub I portion 84, arranged to be. fixedly connected to the agitator shaft at any desired height by means of the spring pressed pin 85, whlch I is adapted to selectively engage the openings. 86 in the shaft.

Radial arms 87 are formed integrally with the hub 84, and provided at their extremities with the depending U-shaped rods 88. A ring 88 is. spotwelded or otherwise con-.

nected to the under sides of the arms 87, the U-shaped rods 88 straddling said ring. Wlth this construction the rlng 88 acts as a guard,

preventing the clothes from working up be I tween the arms 87. I

' A shelf 89 is hingedly connected, as shown at 90, to the shelf 39, and provided with the legs 91, hingedly connectedthereto- Upon the opposite side of the vertical main frame, a

a shelf 92 is hingedly connected as shownat 93, and provided with the hinged legs 94, a shelf 95, similar tothe shelf 89, being hingedly connected thereto as shown at 96.

These shelves may be folded together against the vertical main frame, as shown in F1gs. 2 and 4, or all of these shelves may bev opened as shown in Fig. 3, thus accommodating two. tubs, beside the washing machine tub, and a basket or the like, the wringer being so mounted that it can be moved into position between any two of these receptacles and locked in this position. The construe-J menace tion of the drivingmechanism is such that the shelf or bench 39 may be folded against the vertical main frame, when the tub is removed therefrom, as shown in Fig. 4.

It will be evident that a washing machine is thus produced which may be folded into a very small space when the tub is removed therefrom and which provides suficient supporting means for all tubs or other receptacles which it may be necessary to use in the ordinary process of washing clothes.

I claim: v

1. A washing machine comprising a vertical main frame, motive means mounted thereon, a bench hingedly connected to the vertical frame, washing means arranged to be supported upon said bench, a shaft on said bench having a detachable coup-ling with the washing means and an operative connection between the motive means and shaft.

2. A washing machine comprising a vertical main frame, motive means mounted thereon, a bench hingedly connected to the vertical frame, a rock sh'aft carried by the bench, a rock arm upon the rock shaft, a crank arm upon the motive means, a connecting bar operatively connecting the crank arm and rock arm, and a tub containing washing mechanism arranged to be mounted uponthe bench and a detachable coupling being provided between the rock shaft and the washing mechanism.

3. A washing machine comprising a vertical main frame, motive means mounted thereon, a bench hingedly connected to the main frame, a rock shaft carried by the bench, a flexible connection between the motive means and the rock shaft permitting the bench to be folded against the main frame, and a tub containing washing mechanism arranged to be mounted upon the bench, a detachable coupling being provided between the rock shaft and the washing mechanism.

4. A washing machine comprising a vertical main frame, motive means mounted thereon, a bench hingedly connected to the vertical frame, a rock shaft carried by the bench, an operative connection between the motive'means and the rock shaft, a tub containing washing mechanism arranged to be mounted upon the bench and a detachable coupling between the rock shaft and the washing mechanism.

5. A washing machine comprising a vertical main frame, motive means mounted thereon, a bench hingedly connected to the main frame, a vertical rock shaft carried by the bench, a rock arm upon the rock shaft, a crank arm upon the motive means rotatable upon 'a horizontal axis, a connecting bar provided at opposite extremities with pivoted members connected to the crank arm and rock arm respectively, and a tub arranged to be mounted upon the bench, an agitator located within the tub, a detachable coupling being provided between the rock shaft and the agitator.

6.. washingmachine comprising a vertical main frame, motive means mounted thereon, a bench hingedly connected to the vertical frame, washing means arranged to be supported upon the bench, a rock shaft upon the bench arranged to engage the washing means, crank arms upon the motive means and rock shaft and a flexible connection between said crank arms adapted to allow the bench to be folded against the. main frame.

.7. A. washing machine comprising a vertical main frame, motive means mounted thereon, a bench hingedly connected to the vertical frame, washing means arranged to be mounted upon the bench, a rock shaft.

onnns e. n. l 

